Three submit their names to replace Bencivengo as mayor

HAMILTON ­TWP. — At the end of this week, Hamilton town council will decide between two of its own and a former fire commissioner to serve as mayor until next fall.

Though it doesn’t become official until the municipal GOP ratifies the list at its convention, only Councilwoman Kelly Yaede, Councilman Ed Gore and David Maher, a former freeholder candidate and Nottingham fire commissioner, submitted their names for the three spots.

Michael Chianese, the chair of the township GOP committee said he was pleased with the list they had.

“They’re all fantastic smart credentialed Republican candidates,” he said. “I couldn’t be more pleased with those three names.”

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The selection process comes after the resignation of Mayor John Bencivengo last week following his conviction on federal corruption charges. In the interim, Council President Kevin Meara took over for as many as 30 days. The mayor council selects will serve until a special election next fall, which decides who will be mayor until 2015.

Though the selection was originally scheduled for Dec. 20, a petition started by Councilman Dave Kenny moved the vote to Friday, the day after the party convention. In addition, council members up for consideration do not have to recuse themselves.

The council members are not legally bound to recuse themselves from the vote, Meara said. Yaede and Gore said earlier in the week they may vote for themselves.

“If my name is submitted as one of the three, if I strongly feel that the residents want me to serve as their mayor, I would heed the call and vote in the affirmative for my credentials and ability to lead,” she said.

Former Democratic Councilman Vinnie Cappodano took issue with the ability of council members to vote for themselves along with Kenny’s approach to the selection process.

“I’ve never seen a councilperson do what Mr. Kenny is doing right now,” he said. “Their names have been tainted and the way Kenny has been acting has been totally improper.”

Kenny criticized Meara as “mayor by happenstance” after he fired Business Administator John Ricci Monday. Kenny said Meara, because he would only be mayor for as long as 30 days, should not have taken such drastic actions.

Bencivengo was convicted of taking $12,400 in bribes from the government’s cooperating witness, Marliese Ljuba, in exchange for his influence with the Hamilton Board of Education, so that she could keep her lucrative health insurance brokerage for her employer, Allen Associates.

Meara said he will have to decide on who to vote for after interviewing the candidates Friday. He said he was uncomfortable with the shift from the normal selection process, where candidates would normally be interviewed at one meeting and voted on at another.

The candidates will have a limited time to make their pitch to council; the meeting will likely include both interviews and a vote.

Yaede said, in addition to helping the township move past the scandal, she wanted to build on the successes of the current administration in keeping taxes stable and attrracting businesses to the township.

“The number one issue facing Hamilton residents without question is taxes,” she said.

Maher said he wanted to help the town regain trust in its government.

“We need to move Hamilton beyond this Bencivengo fiasco,” he said. “It’s time for new ideas and fresh faces out there instead of the same people.”

He said he would also try to encourage business growth in the township and better use Hamilton’s open spaces.

Gore said he wanted to save his comments about his plans for the selection committee and the meeting with council Friday.